Night Tube at 10: Lewisham's One Stop Is New Cross Gate

The Night Tube is 10 years old and has just one stop in Lewisham borough, New Cross Gate, at the end of the Windrush line, so most of the borough still gets home on a night bus. Transport for London (TfL) marked the anniversary on Thursday 5 November with London After Dark, a report written with Time Out, which says more than 81,000 Night Tube journeys are now made on an average night.

The report’s headline finding is that 88 per cent of the Londoners questioned have stayed out later because they knew public transport was running. TfL’s night map shows how far that reaches here: Windrush line trains run overnight on Friday and Saturday nights as far as New Cross Gate. From there on, to Brockley, Catford, Forest Hill or Sydenham, TfL’s planner puts you on a bus.

How long it takes to get home

We asked TfL’s journey planner for the first option after 2.30am from Piccadilly Circus, in the early hours of Saturday 14 November. The times include walking and waiting.

So the train saves nothing against the bus to New Cross Gate at that hour, though a different departure may change that. The planner showed Windrush trains leaving Canada Water 15 minutes apart and taking nine minutes to New Cross Gate.

We also asked about the small hours of 28 and 29 November and 5 and 6 December, and the planner offered no Windrush trains between Canada Water and New Cross Gate at all. We do not know if that is a planned closure or the planner’s timetable running out, so check nearer the date.

What the report found

Time Out and TfL followed about 200 Londoners from Time Out’s own research community for a week in September, through surveys, diaries, creative tasks and personal stories, and interviewed six people who work in the night-time economy. The percentages describe that group rather than a poll of all Londoners. TfL gives these main findings:

• 88 per cent have stayed out later because they knew public transport was running
• 77 per cent say knowing how they will get home matters when deciding where to go
• 55 per cent believe great nights out are increasingly spread across the capital rather than concentrated in central London

TfL’s own examples of that spread do not reach Lewisham. Its list of openings and announcements this autumn covers Apple Music Hall at Battersea Power Station, Blue Note in Covent Garden, the Ironworks warehouse venue at the Royal Docks, fabric’s concerts at St Paul’s Cathedral, protected status for Heaven and next summer’s 20th birthday shows at The O2. None of them is in the borough.

Locally, the late-night question is live in New Cross, where Goldsmiths Students’ Union has applied to hold events until 4am, and comments are open until 18 November.

The report follows a separate Time Out analysis that put London first among 26 European capitals for nightlife and public transport combined, ahead of Vienna and Paris. It drew on 5,848 responses in 23 languages, with people rating their own city on a five-point scale and the two scores weighted equally.

Ten years in numbers

The first Night Tube ran on the Central and Victoria lines on 19 August 2016, and the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines followed later that year. TfL gives these figures:

• More than 50,000 journeys on the first night
• More than 81,000 journeys on an average night now, with Saturdays typically busier than Fridays
• More than 67 million customers carried on Night Tube and Night Overground services since 2016
• 50 Night Tube stations with step-free access

All stations are staffed while open and have full CCTV coverage, TfL says. It also says it is on track for high-speed mobile coverage across the whole Tube network, including in tunnels, by the end of the year, with more than 70 per cent of underground stations already covered by 4G and 5G.

What they said

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m delighted that London is Time Out’s leading European capital; this is a testament to both its nightlife and its public transport, which includes the Night Tube.”

He added: “This report really brings to life how The Night Tube connects Londoners and visitors with our city’s incredible cultural offering, helping people discover new venues and events in new parts of the capital while ensuring they can travel home safely and affordably at any hour.”

Claire Mann, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “London at night has changed significantly over the past decade, and the Night Tube has evolved alongside it, helping people travel to work, meet friends and enjoy everything the capital has to offer after dark.”

Coral Anderson, co-owner and managing director of Swift Bars, said: “When people know they can get home easily, they’re more likely to explore a new neighbourhood, stay for another drink and make the most of everything London has to offer.”

Ed Richardson, programme director for transport at BusinessLDN, said: “Reliable late-night transport is essential to a thriving 24-hour city, giving Londoners and visitors the confidence to enjoy everything London has to offer. Keeping the city moving after dark will be key to helping its night-time economy continue to thrive.”

What it means for you

• Before the last train: the last Charing Cross departure to Lewisham is around 00:22. After that it is a night bus or, on Fridays and Saturdays, the Windrush line.
• Fares: Night Tube fares are off-peak, and a Day Travelcard stays valid for journeys starting before 04:30 the next day.
• Any night but Friday or Saturday: the Night Tube does not run, so plan on the night buses.
• Heading south through Lewisham town centre: TfL can shut Lewisham High Street southbound from 9pm to 6am on signed nights until May 2027. If you are going on towards Catford or Bellingham, check for diversions on our roadworks and travel page and at the stop.

TfL’s release is on its newsroom. Time Out offers the full report as a download.